Mum and two kids killed in Assad airstrikes on civilian homes as bloodied children are pulled from the rubble
A MOTHER and her two children have been killed in Syria as the Assad regime steps up its assault on the last town still held by rebels in the country’s civil war.
Activists on the ground said a building collapsed and five people were killed when government planes continued their bombardment of the northwestern city of Idlib on Thursday, the Associated Press reported.
Volunteers from the Syrian Civil Defense, the group better known as the White Helments, pulled bodies and bloodied survivors from the rubble in the aftermath of the attack.
The woman’s third child survived the bombing.
The city is supposed to be protected from a large-scale offensive under a deal negotiated by Russia, which backs Assad, and Turkey, which backs the rebels.
A ceasefire agreement established a buffer zone centred on the city, now home to almost three million people.
Under the agreement, rebel fighters were allowed to leave the buffer zone and civilians from other areas were allowed to seek refuge there.
But the regime of President Bashar al-Assad has renewed its shelling of the area in recent weeks.
Ursula Mueller, the U.N’s assistant secretary general for humanitarian affairs, told the U.N. Security Council this week that more than 160 civilian deaths have been confirmed in Idlib this month, while around 270,000 have been displaced.
She went on to warn that the ability of humanitarian workers to reach the worst effected areas was being threatened.
“In many areas of active hostilities, humanitarian operations have been suspended,” she said.
What is the Syrian conflict?
The main sides in the Syrian conflict are President Assad’s official Syrian army, Isis and Syrian rebel factions.
Some of these rebel groups are backed by al-Qaeda while other groups are supported by the West.
The US is said to have 2,000 troops on the ground offering support to those battling ISIS.
Russia is also there to fight against Isis, however they also attack other anti-Assad rebels, including those backed by the US.
Iran is also a powerful backer of the Assad regime as both are from the Shia branch of Islam as opposed to the Sunni religion of Isis and Saudi Arabia.
In May 2018, Iranian Quds forces based in Syria launched a 20 rockets attack on Israel.
None of the rockets hit any targets and Israeli aircraft responded by extensively hitting both Syrian and Iranian military sites in Syria.
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“This includes the suspension of health, nutrition and protection services previously supporting some 600,000 people, including 21 immunization centres that have ceased operations, and at least 49 health facilities that have partially or totally suspended activities out of fear of being attacked.”
Among the healthcare facilities to have been damaged this week were two hospitals, including one of Idlib’s major trauma centres.
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